What LGBTQ Teens Wish Their School Knew About Them

Take notes.

Until we're 18, we spend A LOT of time in school. Whether it's the time we spend physically in the school building during class or the hours spent at home working on assignments, it truly dominates the majority of our lives when we're young. A lot of people feel like they don't necessarily belong in school, and that can be a really stressful experience. But for LGBTQ young people, there's often a lot at stake when they not only feel they don't belong in school, but are sometimes even told that much.

In a new video for GLSEN, LGBTQ teens open up about what they wish their classmates and teachers knew about what school is like for them every single day.

In the video, some said they want their gender pronouns and identity to be respected in school because, when they aren't, it feels like they are being told they don't have the right to exist in the same space as the rest of their classmates.

"I wish people knew that when my name and pronouns aren't respected, it feels a lot like I'm not respected," one teen said, "and that you're not respecting my right to exist in the school with you."

For some transgender students, they are literally being told they can't exist in the same space as others.

"I wish you knew that I have to plan my day around where the bathrooms are," one student said.

But beyond their identities, LGBTQ students also want their classmates to know that they're normal teenagers just like everyone else. Being queer doesn't occupy all their time, it's just another part of them.

"Queer people aren't just queer people," one student said. "We do other things. It's not something that gets in the way of sports or classes or being an artist."

Basically, LGBTQ students just want their classmates to know that they exist, and that they want to be treated with the same respect as everyone else. While this doesn't seem like something that's hard to understand, statistics show that LGBTQ students aren't currently being treated this way. GLSEN's 2015 National School Climate Survey revealed that a majority of LGBTQ students experience harassment and discrimination at school, and it's having an impact. LGBTQ students who experience high levels of victimization are less likely to want to continue their education, and have lower grade point averages, self-esteem and are more likely to experience depression.

That's why it's critical that we listen to the teens in this video. Because if we don't, they could be suffering just because they are who they are.